The government on Thursday set up a board at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo to mark the countdown to the Group of Seven summit in May in Hiroshima, with 134 days to go.
A kickoff ceremony for the countdown was attended by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who aims to build momentum for the May 19-20 summit. Kishida represents a constituency in Hiroshima, which was devastated by an atomic bomb in 1945 in the closing days of World War II.
Kishida said he wants to lead discussions at the gathering so the G7 leaders can present their visions and messages for the future.
Noting that related ministerial meetings will be held in more than 10 locations throughout Japan, the prime minister said the summit "will be a very valuable opportunity to show the world the attractions of each region in Japan."
The G7 groups Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States, plus the European Union.
On Wednesday, Kishida said at a news conference that he will pitch his vision of a world without nuclear weapons at the gathering.